Curbing deforestation is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We're currently losing forests at the rate of a land area the size of Kentucky each year, which accounts for 24 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.
Carbon offsets reward owners for conserving forests, countering the current perverse incentives to cut them down. But to work, they must conform to internationally recognized standards and be accessible to communities in developing countries, while forest conservation initiatives must be independently audited and verified.
Admittedly, these mechanisms are still in the early stages of development, but they are emerging and show promise. More scrutiny from government and N.G.O.'s ought to speed the evolution, helping carbon offset trading translate reliably into reducing emissions, protecting biodiversity and making land-based livelihoods more sustainable.
Tensie Whelan
Executive Director, Rainforest Alliance
New York, Jan. 11, 2008
More back ground information in case you forgot this horrible scandal
- NOMINEE FOR E.P.A. DEFENDS HIS JOB AS UTAH GOVERNOR
Gov. Michael O. Leavitt today defended his environmental record...to be made at the extremes,'' Mr. Leavitt said in an interview in his office here...Despite such amiable words, Governor Leavitt's record has drawn criticism from conservationists...
August 14, 2003 - - Front Page - 1268 words - Utah G.O.P. Welcomes Cheney and Adopts a New Tone
...Republican Party appeared united. Gov. Michael O. Leavitt was not booed. Senator Orrin...that arose last year, when Mr. Leavitt and Mr. Hatch were attacked as...conservatives against each other. Mr. Leavitt, who went on to win a third term...
August 26, 2001 - - U.S. - 970 words - U.S.-Utah Land Accord Incites Unlikely Critics
...the country. They zeroed in on Gov. Michael O. Leavitt, a third-term Republican...after the 2004 elections. Mr. Leavitt said he had expected all of that...here, the deals have caused Mr. Leavitt a bigger political headache than...
May 23, 2003 - - U.S. - 1002 words - Utah Law Creates First 'Pornography Czar'
...explicit material in his state, Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah is planning to sign into...first pornography czar. Mr. Leavitt conceded that the new obscenity...almost all aspects of life, Mr. Leavitt said the law would ''codify...
March 16, 2000 - - Technology - 981 words - Bush Nominates Utah Governor To Lead Environmental Agency
...President Bush today nominated Gov. Michael O. Leavitt, the three-term Republican...President Bush's choice of Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah as administrator...President Bush's choice of Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah as administrator...
August 12, 2003 - - Front Page - 1232 words - THE 2000 CAMPAIGN: THE CONTESTS AHEAD; West's Primaries Are Denied Spotlight
...presidential selection process. Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah led a vigorous bipartisan...assured Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush of Texas their...if only faintly,'' said Mr. Leavitt, a strong Bush supporter, arguing...
March 9, 2000 - - U.S. - 608 words - Hearing on E.P.A. Nominee Takes an Ideological Turn
...confirmation hearing today on Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah, President Bush's choice...Public Works Committee told Mr. Leavitt repeatedly that the job he was...Washington. In response, Mr. Leavitt said that he viewed himself as...
September 24, 2003 - - U.S. - 1011 words - Democrats End Effort to Block Bush's Choice To Lead E.P.A.
...Environmental Protection Agency, Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah, clearing the way for Mr. Leavitt's confirmation in a vote by...agreement ended a standoff over Mr. Leavitt's nomination that had lasted...
October 28, 2003 - - U.S. - 648 words - Bush Choice to Head E.P.A. Asks Clinton Administrator for Reference
By 6 o'clock this morning, Utah time, Gov. Michael O. Leavitt, President Bush's choice for administrator of the Environmental...Browner, a Democrat, was an indication that Governor Leavitt, a Republican, was executing a comprehensive confirmation...
August 13, 2003 - - U.S. - 944 words - After Long Delay, Senate Confirms Utah Governor as Head of E.P.A.
Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah was confirmed on Tuesday as head...of major environmental battles. Mr. Leavitt, who was confirmed, 88 to 8, will...watchers raised concerns about how Mr. Leavitt would handle occasionally tense relations...
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